


a shiver of want, always

by cryptidsung



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Han Jisung | Han is a Confident Gay, His Dark Materials AU, Love at First Sight, M/M, Pining, Yang Jeongin | I.N is a Panicked Gay, this is all very soft and self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryptidsung/pseuds/cryptidsung
Summary: When Jeongin reaches her he sees a decently sized crowd gathered around a group of boys.Three of them are playing instruments, while a fourth stands in front of them, dancing and playing around with his daemon, the biggest otter Jeongin's ever seen. Naima flutters back on his shoulder."Yen, look at them. I think they might be gyptians!" she whispers conspiratorially in his ear.Jeongin takes a good look at them and realizes that yes, those boys probably actually are gyptians. Their clothes are much different from the ones the people in the crowd are wearing and they have an aura of… wildness around them.Then, the boy in the middle starts singing and captures Jeongin's attention.Jeongin lives a quiet life at the Jordan, studying hard everyday to fulfill what he believes to be his fate, becoming a Scholar. That is, until he meets a gorgeous gyptian boy with a knack for getting in trouble.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: AGIBBANG FEST





	a shiver of want, always

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey hey, this is my submission for prompt #0123 for AGIBBANGFEST!  
> title is from "Reunion" by M83  
> Huge thank yous to Mod Yeni and to my amazing beta Elizabeth ❤️

The sun is shining brightly when Jeongin and Naima finally set foot out of the Jordan again.

Today is not a special occasion, per se.

Chan had taken a good look at Jeongin and declared him "too pale and serious".

"You've been studying so hard lately. Take a day to enjoy yourself. Summer's just begun and a young boy like you should take advantage of a day as lovely as this one," his uncle had told him with a gentle smile. 

Jeongin had had half the mind to argue that he enjoyed himself the most when he was studying, but Naima had discreetly swatted at his ear with her little wing (she loved to sit on his shoulder in the form of a tiny sparrow) and he'd simply thanked Chan with a small smile.

It's not that the both of them don't like going outside, or that they aren't allowed to. To put it simply, Jeongin much prefers the quiet and tranquility of the College's ample rooms and the solemn, austere atmosphere of the huge library where he spends most of his days studying.

Presently, he and Naima are walking down the short road that leads to Oxford.

Naima flutters around him happily, randomly shifting forms and experimenting how far and fast she can fly as a butterfly, a hawk, a swallow, pushing as far as their bond will allow before flying back. 

Jeongin walks behind his daemon, content in watching her have fun, but mostly he's grumpy that they aren't currently in the library. Naima huffs loudly at his mood.

"Enough with that long face! Chan is right, some fresh air will do us good," she tells him, landing back on his shoulder in the form of a bee.

"There's plenty enough air in the library," Jeongin grumps out.

Naima scoffs fondly. She turns back into her preferred sparrow form and uses her small wing to ruffle his hair.

The trek to the city is relatively short. They soon find themselves wandering the streets aimlessly, watching the city life around them.

Despite his initial reluctance, Jeongin is happy to have some time to simply… stroll around and enjoy the weather. He pretends not to hear Naima's smug chirp when she feels his mood change.

They get a bit lost, but they don't mind much. Jeongin stops at a fruit vendor and buys himself some apples to snack on as they keep wandering around, until upon rounding a corner they come across a huge square. 

"Looks like it's a market day," Jeongin muses as he takes in the dozens of stands selling the most disparate stuff and the crowd of people and daemons bustling around.

Naima gasps excitedly and takes off towards a flower stand without a word. Jeongin shakes his head fondly and follows after her.

The marketplace is pleasantly chaotic. People walking around on their own businesses, children playing and chasing each other, merchants loudly selling their products and daemons of every form and shape following their humans everywhere, helping with their daily tasks. Most of them are dogs or various species of farm animals, for many in the outskirts of the city are down to earth and practical people, mostly farmers.

There's music and laughter coming from a corner of the square, hidden behind a couple of stands. Naima, ever the curious creature, flies above to take a look, then excitedly calls her human over.

When Jeongin reaches her he sees a decently sized crowd gathered around a group of boys.

Three of them are playing instruments, while a fourth stands in front of them, dancing and playing around with his daemon, the biggest otter Jeongin's ever seen. Naima flutters back on his shoulder.

"Yen, look at them. I think they might be gyptians!" she whispers conspiratorially in his ear.

Jeongin takes a good look at them and realizes that yes, those boys probably actually  _ are  _ gyptians. Their clothes are much different from the ones the people in the crowd are wearing and they have an aura of… wildness around them.

Then, the boy in the middle starts singing and captures Jeongin's attention.

The first thing Jeongin notices is that the boy is very handsome. Scratch that, he's downright  _ gorgeous. _ And so is his voice. It's smooth yet powerful and it's almost like it's emanating some kind of energy, a joyful vibe that makes Jeongin feel happy and lively. He's singing an upbeat and cheery song, beaming at the ecstatic crowd with a charming smile and goofily yet gracefully dancing around.   
He's putting on a show, looking like he's having as much fun as his public, and Jeongin is entranced.

The crowd around Jeongin is clapping and cheering the boy, some of them singing along with him, and Jeongin too finds himself clapping and having fun, mindlessly swaying to the rhythm of the song while Naima flutters above him excitedly.

The gyptian's daemon is dancing and hopping around him and sometimes it purposefully slithers between his feet to playfully pretend to make him fall, eliciting more laughter and cheers from the crowd. Even through his playful glaring at the otter and stumbling around, the boy's melodious voice never falters, nor does his beautiful smile. Jeongin laughs along with the crowd, but it quickly dies in his throat as he meets the boy's gaze.

Jeongin feels rooted to the ground. The boy looks at him and it's like a current runs through Jeongin's body, and he feels himself blushing. Then the boy  _ winks  _ at him before his gaze moves on. 

Jeongin barely hears the rest of the song, too captivated by the boy. He doesn't know what happened in the mere span of seconds their gazes met (was it seconds? Or hours? Or days?), but it felt like no one had ever looked at him before, like that gyptian boy had been the first person to actually  _ see  _ Jeongin.

The song ends. The gyptian and his daemon bow to the crowd, eliciting another round of cheers and applause.

“Thank you!” the boy exclaims. 

“We hope you had as much fun as we did! And if you did, well, we'd be grateful if you showed us!” he concludes with a cheeky grin and another bow.

The crowd starts dispersing. Jeongin sees some people gather around a bucket standing near the boy and dropping coins in it. The gyptian has turned around to speak with his friends, and that's the only reason that Jeongin has enough courage to get close to the bucket and drop in some money himself. He quickly moves away before the boy can notice him, but Naima has other plans.

“Yen, what are you doing?! Go talk to him!” she whisper-yells in his ear.

“Absolutely  _ not _ ,” he whisper-yells back, not keen at the idea of making a fool of himself in front of the handsome gyptian.

Naima puffs her small sparrow body, turning herself in a fluffy ball of indignation.

“Absolutely  _ yes,”  _ she says, and abruptly flies away.

Jeongin whips around and realizes with absolute dread that she's flying directly towards the otter daemon. Their bond starts to pull uncomfortably and Jeongin sighs, resigning himself to his fate. He follows her, even if he'd rather the ground opened up and swallowed him whole to save him from his inevitable embarrassment.

The gyptian boy notices him just before Jeongin reaches the two daemons, who already seem to be conversing like they're old friends.

The way the boy's eyes light up with recognition has Jeongin's heart stumbling in his chest.    
The grin that follows almost makes him actually stumble. Seeing the boy's heart-shaped smile while he performed was something… having it directly aimed at himself is another thing entirely.

“Hello there,” the boy greets Jeongin amicably, “I saw you in the crowd. Did you enjoy the show?”

His voice is smooth and pleasant, and paired with that gorgeous smile, it has Jeongin flustered in seconds.

“Uhm, y-yes, I did. You have a, uh, beautiful voice,” he stammers, and mentally kicks himself.

Why is he so flustered?! He's a serious and literate student, he can't get tongue-tied just because a handsome gyptian boy is talking to him!  A handsome gyptian boy with the prettiest eyes Jeongin has ever seen... and a smile so bright and genuine and beautiful… 

To Jeongin's utter despair, the boy's smile grows even more. 

“Why, thank you!” he says with evident delight.

“My name is Jisung, by the way, and the menace over there is Elarena.” he adds, pointing to his daemon.

Jeongin casts a look at the daemons. Naima has tried to take Elarena's form but she looks more like a little otter puppy next to the other daemon's huge figure. The two of them are chatting and playing around, Naima cautiously but curiously hopping around Elarena while the other playfully tries to swat at her. It's an incredibly endearing sight, and Jeongin finds himself smiling.

“Wow, I've never seen Rena being this comfortable with a stranger before.”

Jisung's surprised voice makes Jeongin focus back on him. He flushes when he registers the gyptian's words.

“Oh, I'm sorry...Naima can be a little too expansive, at times...” he tries to explain.

“Don't apologize, it's a good thing. It's cute.” Jisung tells him.

“So...” he goes on, that cheeky smile back in place, “I know your daemon's name now. Mind telling me yours, pretty boy?”

Jeongin almost chokes on air.  _ Pretty? Him? _

“I- I'm Jeongin,” he manages to stutter out.

Jisung's smile turns coy when he notices Jeongin's reaction to his words. His eyes widen suddenly as he eyes the student up and down.

“Wait, are you from the College?” he asks him, looking intrigued.

Jeongin smiles timidly, reflexively relaxing at the mention of his home. “Yes, I'm studying to become a scholar.”

Jisung whistles lowly. “That's interesting,” he says. Then, his smile turns cheeky again. “I didn't know scholars could look so lovely.”

Jeongin fumbles, not really knowing what to do with himself. No one has ever called him  _ pretty _ or  _ lovely,  _ no one has ever complimented him so nonchalantly yet decisively, especially not someone as handsome as Jisung.

The gyptian's smile softens a little as he seemingly notices Jeongin's embarrassment. He opens his mouth to speak but he's interrupted by one of his friends calling out to him.

“Sung, let's go! Ma is waiting for us!”

Jisung huffs. 

“Coming!” he yells back.

“I have to go,” he says to Jeongin, and he sounds genuinely regretful. “I hope to see you around, Jeongin.”

Jeongin for his part  _ is  _ regretful that Jisung has to leave, because it's highly unlikely that the boy will “see him around”.

“I don't know about that...” he murmurs dejectedly. “I don't usually leave the College.”

Jisung looks bummed for about half a second before that beaming smile graces his features again. “Then I guess I'll just have to hang around the Jordan more!” he tells him with a wink.

Jeongin honestly feels like passing out.

“ _ Jisung! _ ” comes another yell from Jisung's friend, a tall boy with long blonde hair. 

The gyptian huffs again, exasperated. “I said I'm coming, jeez! Rena, c'mon!”

Jeongin sees the daemons move in the corner of his eyes, and instinctively raises his hand. Naima flutters in his palm seconds later, back in her preferred sparrow form. Elarena reaches them and she too winks at Jeongin and Naima. 

“Until next time,” she says before elegantly turning around to precede her human.

Jisung waves at Jeongin with a smile. “Bye then.”

He turns around and follows his daemon and they quickly reach their friends. Jeongin is still watching them go in a stupor when Naima flies on his shoulder and whacks his head with a small wing.

“Say something, dumbass!” she urges him.   
  
The young student startles. “Goodbye!” he yells towards Jisung.

He only realizes what he's done when he notices various people looking at him weirdly and he clamps both hands over his mouth, flushing bright red with embarrassment. Jisung, already far ahead, turns around to look at him curiously. He grins and waves at him, then disappears behind a corner. Naima twitters disapprovingly.   
“Yen...you're a disaster,” she sighs.

Jeongin hides his face in his hands with a groan.

  
  
  


Summer is in full swing in the span of a week.

From their bedroom window Jeongin and Naima can see people coming and going from the river, some of them having business of some kind, most of them just having a picnic and a swim in the cool waters.

The two of them have never enjoyed the torrid weather much, and that's why they've taken to spending even more time in the library.

Jeongin especially loves the quiet of the huge room and the austerity of its shelves filled with books; its high ceiling and stone walls also make it almost impenetrable to any kind of warmth, which can be a pain during winter, but with the the heat raging outside, the coolness in the room is more than welcome.

The tall windows are open and the sun is shining outside; Naima, in the form of a small tabby cat, sunbathes lazily in a pool of light on the table near where Jeongin is studying.

There aren't any other people in the library except for a couple of scholars perusing the volumes in the far corner of the room.

It's a quiet and frankly pretty boring moment, until a soft melody wafts through the open windows.

The sound shakes Jeongin out of his haze and wakes Naima up.

“Wasgoion?” she mutters groggily.

Jeongin concentrates on the sound coming in. The melody is faster, but still as soft as before. It sounds like a guitar, but he's not sure.

“I don't know… Go take a look,” he tells Naima.

She huffs and rolls over her back, her paws outstretched. “But I just woke uuup,” she whines.

Jeongin snorts and reaches over to scratch her belly, eliciting a satisfied purr. “But I can't flyyy,” he whines back at her with a grin.

The purring turns annoyed. Naima rolls over to her feet, languidly stretches herself, and turns back into a sparrow.

“Once, just once, I would like to see you sprout wings and fly on my command,” she grumbles before taking off, ignoring Jeongin's amused  _ I'm not commanding you, you're just as curious as me! _

She perches on the windowsill and squints a little at the sudden bright light. She can hear the melody clearly from up there and she follows the sound with her eyes until her gaze falls on the huge oak tree standing by the river.

There, softly strumming his guitar, sits Jisung with Elarena, the otter lying peacefully in the shade beside her human.

Naima twitters excitedly to catch her attention. Elarena raises her head languidly, blinking her eyes around until they land on the small bird. She gleefully chirps back at her and then turns to Jisung, presumably to inform him of Naima's presence, because the next moment the gyptian turns around to look for her. He smiles at her when their eyes meet, and gestures a bit towards her. Naima isn't sure she entirely gets what he means, but she nods nonetheless before getting back inside.

“Well, what did you see?” Jeongin asks her as soon as she lands on the table.

“Something that you'll like, c'mon,” she says as she turns back into a cat and jumps down the table. She trots quickly to the door, eager to reach her daemon friend as soon as possible.

Jeongin, still sitting at the table with his quill in hand, stares quizzically at her retreating back.

“Where are you going?”. 

Naima huffs and keeps walking.

“ _ Why  _ do you have to question everything I do-- c'mon Yen, I promise it'll be worth it!”

Jeongin casts a look at the books still lying on the table. He could put up a fight just to bother Naima, but their bond is starting to pull uncomfortably because his stubborn daemon is still moving forward, and the passage he was reading was becoming pretty boring anyway. He shrugs as he gets up and follows Naima out of the vast library.

  
  


The air outside is incredibly hot compared to inside the College and both Jeongin and Naima have to take a moment to adjust.

“Oh you were so right Mai, frying to death is exactly what I'll like,” Jeongin tells her sarcastically.

Naima stretches her back again before turning back into a sparrow and taking off.

“Move your ass, dramatic fool,” she chirps as she flies towards the river.

She's flying so fast Jeongin actually has to jog a little to keep up with her and he wonders what in the world she saw over that window that made her so energetic.

Then he sees the oak tree and the person sitting against its trunk, looking back at him with a big smile, and he freezes.

Jisung waves and gestures at Jeongin to come closer. Naima has already reached Elarena and the both of them are moving towards the river.

It takes a couple of moments for Jeongin to gather his senses and approach Jisung and to him it feels like his legs have a mind of their own . He hadn't expected the gyptian to follow through with what he'd suggested, and seeing him there has him feeling both giddy and nervous. He briefly wonders why his heart is beating so erratically in his chest.

“Hello Jeongin!” Jisung says, an easy smile on his lips.

“Hello...” Jeongin replies, and he can't help smiling back. “I didn't expect to see you. What are you doing here?”

He immediately regrets how snippy his question sounds, but Jisung doesn't seem to mind.

“Well,” he quips, “I did say I was gonna hang around the College more.”

Jeongin sits down on the grass. The shade cast by the tree is a nice contrast to the stifling heat of the sunlight and the light breeze feels even lovelier than it did coming from the library windows. Jeongin feels a bit calmer despite Jisung's proximity.

“Yeah, I remember, but that doesn't answer my question,” he quips back, amused.

Jisung rolls his eyes at him but that easy smile is still playing on his lips, so Jeongin knows he's not bothered by his insistence.

“Are all scholars as inquisitive as you?” Jisung jokes. “I just wanted to explore around. Then I remembered you mentioned you study here at the Jordan, and I thought it might be nice to make an inland friend.”

Jeongin beams at that, even as he feels a subtle heat rise to his cheeks.

“I'm not a scholar yet,” he corrects, “but, uhm... yes, I too would like to be friends.”

A traitorious little part of his brain insinuates that _maybe_ he would like them to be something else, but he shuts it up quickly. He's not ready to think about that.

The sound of loud squeals and shrieks coming from the river grabs their attention and they turn around to see Naima and Elarena swimming around and splashing each other. Naima has turned into an otter again and it's hilarious to watch her splutter gracelessly while Elarena's much larger form swims around her expertly, snickering at her.

“Rena, be nice!” Jisung yells.

Elarena sticks her tiny otter tongue at him in defiance, but she nonetheless swims closer to Naima to help her.

Jisung shakes his head fondly.

“They're cute, aren't they?” he says.

Jeongin has to agree. The bond that ties Jeongin and Naima tells the boy that his daemon is having the time of her life despite her struggling and he's once more endeared by the sight of her having fun with her new friend. Changbin and his daemon Zalenia are their friends as well, but it's nice to see how well Naima and Elarena are socializing.

“So...” Jeongin starts, unsure.

There's a question he's been meaning to ask Jisung, but he doesn't want to come off as rude, especially since they are still barely acquaintances. He fidgets a little, trying to come up with a way to pose the question as delicately as possible. This proves a bit difficult seeing how Jisung's undivided attention is on him again and it somehow makes Jeongin both flustered and pleased at the same time.

“Spit it out, darling,” Jisung says finally, briefly checking the position of his fingers on the strings of his guitar before strumming a couple of notes.

The  _ darling  _ sends all of Jeongin's thoughts scattering like a flock of panicked sheep.

“Why is your daemon an otter?” he blurts out, and promptly pales.

_ Way to not come off as rude, Jeongin!  _ he mentally screams at himself.

It's not like talking about daemons is a taboo, far from it. Jeongin himself has studied daemons and the topic is definitely the most compelling one he's ever dedicated his studies to.

Nevertheless, talking about  _ someone's  _ daemon is generally avoided and considered somewhat impolite. And there Jeongin goes, unceremoniously making a fool out of himself because a handsome boy has called him  _ darling _ !

Jisung raises his head to look at him curiously and Jeongin represses the urge to start digging a hole to hide in with his own hands.

“Why do you ask?” Jisung asks him. He doesn't sound put off, which is definitely a win and helps soothe Jeongin's anxiety a bit.

“O-oh, I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to be so indelicate,” he stammers, his mind still yelling at him to  _ get himself together, for God's sake!  _ “See, I've been studying daemons for a while now a-and I've read that most gyptian daemons take bird forms so I'm just... curious... I guess?” he finishes lamely.

The ground around the oak is basically hard as stone but if he dedicates himself to it he's sure he could dig up a hole deep enough to bury himself and never come out again.

Jisung regards him for a moment before shrugging.

“No need to apologize, you didn't offend me,” he says kindly. Jeongin releases a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. “To be honest, I was surprised as well when Rena settled into an otter,” he goes on, “and you are right, most of our daemons are birds. For example, in my friend group, all of the daemons are different species of birds of prey. I'm the odd one,” he chuckles.

He turns around to look at Elarena and Naima once more. The two of them have moved to the shallows near the riverbank and Elarena appears to be teaching Naima the basics of moving fluidly through the water by using the tail and hind legs.

“After thinking about it for a while, I realized I shouldn't have been so surprised when Rena didn't settle into a bird,” Jisung says, his voice fond, “she never much enjoyed flying. And I'm happy with how she settled, I love her for what she is. Most people believe that a bird daemon means that the human must be a free spirit, and that's usually true, but they don't realize that the water can be as freeing as the sky.”

Jeongin stares at him in wonder. “I see... thank you for telling me, that's a really beautiful answer,” he says, amazed.

Jisung turns back to look at him with a bright grin. “Hello, have we met? Han Jisung, known poet,” he jokes, and adds a cheeky wink for good measure.

Jeongin laughs, and decides to ignore the way that wink makes his heart flutter.

He's relieved when Jisung doesn't ask him anything about Naima, even if he had every right to after Jeongin's rude question. More specifically, he's relieved that he doesn't ask him why she hasn't settled yet. The truth is, neither of them know. A daemon usually settles when their human hits puberty, but that didn't happen to Naima. Jeongin knows that it happens, he knows he isn't the only adult with an unsettled daemon, yet him and Naima can't help but wonder if there's something...  _ wrong  _ with them, sometimes.

After that, the conversation shifts to more casual topics. Jeongin learns that Jisung's family, the Hans, is one of the largest, and that they're mostly merchants specialized in fabrics and furs. They travel to the North during winter to hunt for pelts and to trade the luxurious fabrics they themselves produce, then they come back to the South during summer to sell the furs, only to leave again at winter's start. Jisung tells him it's a repetitive cycle that can be quite boring at times, but Jeongin can't imagine anything more exciting than traveling to the North. He spent almost all of his childhood reading books upon books about those lands, books about witches and their daemons, about  _ panserbjørnes  _ and uncharted territories. Little Jeongin always daydreamed of visiting those lands, but then he grew up and realized that his destiny was the Jordan, becoming a scholar, and he'd been content with it.

“What about you, pretty boy?” Jisung asks him, fingers idly plucking the guitar's chords.

Jeongin tries and fails not to show how flustered and embarrassed he is. Jisung obviously notices and his teasing smile turns into a frown.

“Jeongin... does it bother when I say that? Are you uncomfortable?” he asks worriedly.

“N-no, no!” Jeongin quickly replies, feeling himself blush up to the tip of his ears, “It's just... no one has ever called me that...”

Jisung looks like he wants to say something else but Jeongin beats him to it.

“My life is not as interesting as yours, I'm just a student at the Jordan. I've lived there since I was a baby. And... that's pretty much it.”

Jisung scoffs. “Well, the fact that you're a student at  _ the _ Jordan College, and that you also  _ live  _ there is pretty interesting, if you ask me!” he exclaims, making Jeongin smile humbly, “How come, by the way? As you're so fond of reminding me, you're just a student, and I thought only scholars could live in the College.”

Jeongin lowers his eyes.

“My parents died shortly after I was born. My mother was Master Chan's sister, so he took me in,” he explains flatly.

“Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that...” Jisung whispers, “I'm also sorry that I asked, I didn't mean to make you sad.”

Jeongin smiles gently.

“Don't worry about it, I made my peace with being an orphan a long time ago. And it's not so bad, my uncle is a good man, even if a little overbearing at times,” he replies easily.

Jisung doesn't look entirely convinced but he smiles back at him.

It's quiet for a while, the only sounds coming from the daemons still splashing around in the water and Jisung's fingers absently running on the guitar's strings.

The silence stretches on between the boys, but it's not uncomfortable. Jeongin, despite his general unexplainable awkwardness around Jisung, feels serene sitting there in the shade with him. Once again, he marvels at how the gyptian is able to make him feel such conflictual emotions.

After a while Jisung starts playing more decisively. It's a melody Jeongin vaguely remembers, and when Jisung starts singing he recognizes the words almost immediately. It's a popular love song Jeongin has often heard, sung by street artists around Oxford during the trips to the city Chan used to take him on when he was younger.

Jisung's voice is as mesmerizing as Jeongin remembered it to be. His fingers fly on the strings as if they have a life of their own and they never miss a single note. Jeongin finds himself humming along during the chorus, the part he recalls best. Jisung nods at him with a smile, clearly pleased that his “audience” is enjoying himself. Then he makes direct eye contact with Jeongin as he sings:

_ You hold my heart,dear _

_ Promise me you'll cherish it _

_ Like I cherish yours _

_ Promise me your sweet lips _

_ Like I promise you mine _

_ Oh, my darling _

_ Promise you'll always stay by my side _

Jeongin knows it's just a song, probably the first one that came to Jisung's mind and the boy decided to play, but still, hearing such blatantly romantic words sung  _ like that  _ has his heart beating furiously in his chest and his cheeks flaming hot. Again.

Jisung finishes the song with one last virtuous strum on the chords, and graciously bows at Jeongin as the boy claps his hands at him.

“A beautiful rendition, truly,” Jeongin tells him with a playful smile.

“Ah, thank you for your kind words, my good sir,” Jisung jokes.

He puts his guitar to the ground and raises his arms above his head to stretch his stiff back, emitting a low, satisfied groan. His shirt rides up a little and Jeongin is blessed with the visual of a sliver of tanned skin, which has him promptly blushing again.

The sound of splashing water and then of quickly approaching footsteps is heard, and in the next second Jisung yelps in outrage as he ends up sprawled on the ground with a lap full of soaking wet otter.

At first Jeongin is so surprised that he just stares at them with his mouth agape; then the ridiculousness of the situation settles in and he starts laughing heartily as Jisung tries to shove Elarena off of himself, shrieking and cussing at her to hell and back, while the daemon squeals with delight and rolls herself all over him to get him as wet as possible.

Jeongin laughs even as Naima, sopping wet as well, lands back on his shoulder in her favorite sparrow form and shakes her little body to get rid of the water. When he turns around and sees the way she looks, her feathers all fluffed up wildly, her beak and eyes barely peeking out, he loses the ability to control himself and he too falls sprawled on the ground as he laughs like a maniac. Naima chirps haughtily and flies off his shoulder just in time, landing on the ground beside him; she turns into a little tabby cat and starts grooming her wet fur, pointedly ignoring the screeching from the two humans and the other daemon.

It takes a while for the chaos to quieten down and for Jeongin to stop laughing. He sits up, still wheezing a little, just as Jisung is sitting up as well, looking extremely disgruntled as he takes in how soaked his clothes are now. He looks at Jeongin. A second passes, then two – then both of them break out in peals of laughter again.

Elarena nods, satisfied, and goes to sit beside a now mostly dry Naima. The two daemons watch over fondly as their idiot humans slowly gather their composure.

Then a bell starts ringing from the College, and both Naima and Jeongin startle.

“Oh, it's already so late?” Naima wonders.

Jisung, a hand on his chest, hiccups a little as he regains his breath. “What was that sound?” he wheezes.

“That was the supper bell,” Jeongin answers as he stands up, a bit uncertain on his feet.

Jisung stands up as well, frowning a little. “I see... so you have to go?”

Jeongin nods dejectedly, his eyes downcast. He didn't notice how much time had passed since he'd met Jisung and having to leave so abruptly makes him feel sadder than he should probably be.

Suddenly a hand lands gently on his cheek and raises his face, and Jeongin jumps a little as he meets Jisung's smiling eyes. He flusters at their close proximity and valiantly tries not to break eye contact.

“Don't be sad, pretty boy,” Jisung tells him with a wink, “we can see each other again, right?”

“R-right...” Jeongin stutters out, feeling like he might pass out any second.

Jisung grins at him and lets go of him. He retrieves his guitar from the ground and slings it over his shoulder, securing the strap before looking at Jeongin again.

“I'll come back tomorrow, if you want?” he suggests, and Jeongin tries not to look too eager as he accepts.

Naima, who had been bidding goodbye to Elarena, flies back on Jeongin's shoulder.

“We gotta go, Yen. If we're late to supper again, uncle will never let us hear the end of it,” she urges him.

Jeongin sighs. “I know... see you tomorrow, Jisung?”

Jisung smiles brightly. “Yeah. See you tomorrow, Jeongin.”

“Bye, Naima!” Elarena says to the other daemon while sitting several feet behind Jisung.

The gyptian frowns and whips around to her.

“Don't you think I have forgotten your dastard attack!” he says menacingly before sprinting towards her. Elarena shrieks and runs away, Jisung hot on her heels.

Jeongin and Naima snicker as they watch them go and hear Jisung yell.

“Come here, you little shit! Bye, Jeongin! I said come– “

The supper bell rings again – the final warning, so Jeongin and Naima hurry back inside the College.

The dining hall is almost full when they get there. They hurriedly reach the High Scholars’ table, where Chan and the other scholars are already sitting.

Their uncle seems to be invested in a conversation with Minho, the Librarian, but his collie daemon Morder immediately notices them as soon as they sit down.

“There you are!” he greets them, affectionately nuzzling Naima when she flies down to him. He almost immediately pulls back, looking vaguely disgusted.

“Mai, why are you wet? Come here.”

“Morder, no! There's no nee– “ Naima tries to stop him, but the huge daemon has already started grooming her feathers, his large tongue lapping the entirety of her body with every loving stroke, and she resigns herself to her fate with a sigh.

Chan finally notices Jeongin and raises an amused eyebrow at him.

“Hey. So nice of the two of you to join us,” he teases him.

Jeongin rolls his eyes. “We're not that late,” he mutters grumpily. Chan chuckles.

“Where have you been, anyway? I thought you had mentioned you intended to study astronomy today, but when I went to the library, you weren't there,” he says.

Jeongin thinks about how he spent his afternoon. He thinks about Jisung's melodious voice, about how his eyes sparkled when he talked about his family, about the carefree way Naima played with Elarena in the river. He smiles, feeling giddy and content. He decides he wants to keep these feelings for himself for a little while.

“We just went for a walk along the river, nothing much,” he tells Chan, using his most innocent smile.

Chan smiles fondly at him. “That's good. Did you have fun?”

Jeongin smiles down at his plate as he remembers Jisung's playful way of teasing him. Then he remembers “darling” and “pretty boy”, and he hopes his uncle doesn't notice the heat that rises to his cheeks.

“Yeah,” he chuckles, “yeah, I had fun.”

**Author's Note:**

> another chapter is coming soon-ish, i hope you enjoyed this first one <3


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